Starburst (39 page)

“He
has, he thinks its devils work. Hell, it probably is,” she halfheartedly
agreed.

“Did
you grow up in Florida?”

“Yes,
I left there as soon as I turned eighteen.”

“To
get away from daddy?”

“Yes
and all of his ridiculous rules.”

“And
you went to Los Angeles?”

“I
went to art school there, and that is where I met Fletcher.”

“So
you do have to go to college to be an actor. I often wondered about that.”

“You
do not have to go to college to be an actor. I was only in school for one
semester before Joan Hughes picked me out of the first show I had ever done.
She was my first agent and got me my first role.”

“What
was your first role?” he asked curious.

She
laughed. “Toothpaste commercial.”

“Hmmm,
I am going to have to Google that.

“And
then I was the president’s daughter in my first movie, and I got to say, Okay,
dad. I will see you at Christmas.” She laughed, reciting her first and only
line from her first movie.

“I’m
hungry, let’s get out of here,” Kevin told her taking her hand.

Peyton
stopped him by pulling on his hand. “Bet I can beat you back to the end of the
hall.”

“You
better get a head start,” he replied, accepting her challenge.

Peyton
walked backwards, looking at him and holding up one finger, telling him to
wait. “Not yet, not yet,” she kept saying, making sure she had plenty of
leeway, knowing that his long legs would catch her in no time.

“Now!”
she yelled, and darted as fast as she could away from him.

He
caught her way before she reached the end of the hall and grabbed her around
the waist and spun her around with him. “You lose,” he boasted.

Peyton
turned to him, and both their happy smiles were replaced by serious, longing
expressions as he slowly moved into her, gazing at her eyes and then to her
lips as she parted them for him and he kissed her for the longest time.

“You
need to stop,” she whispered, ready to rip his clothes off and she felt his
smile on her lips.

“Do
you like fish?” he asked.

“Sure,”
she replied with an amused expression at the sudden change in his thought
pattern.

*****

They
picked Kay up, and the three of them went to a restaurant at a local mom and
pop diner and Kevin ate his share plus their share of the all you could eat
fish special. They had a good time, but she was asked for her autograph a few
times, and people there seemed to gawk at her more. They enjoyed their meal,
but she did have to tell Kevin not to touch her because she didn’t want the
publicity, and she had turned her head away from him once when he had tried to
kiss her. Kevin of course took it the wrong way, and decided that she didn’t
want people to see her with him on account of him being a nobody, and not wanting
her reputation to be jeopardized by him.

Kevin
was quiet on the ride back home, and she wasn’t sure if she was going in the
house with Kay or she was going home with him. She waited in the car, once Kay
got out and turned to him.

“Are
you not asking me to go home with you tonight?” she asked, and he turned to
look at her too.

“Are
you sure that is what you want to do?”

“What
does that mean Kevin?” she asked, not understanding.

“You
wanted nothing to do with me all night Peyton,” he reminded her.

“That’s
not true. Kevin I am Peyton Paxton, and just because I’m here in Logan Utah,
doesn’t mean that someone in that restaurant didn’t take our picture, and it’s
already all over the internet.”

“And
you being seen with me is horrible, right?”

“Being
seen with you, no…Being intimate with you …yes.”

“You
do have a silly life.”

“Why
do you do that? Why can’t you just say what you mean rather than making me
constantly ask you, what that is supposed to mean?”

“I
think you know what it means Peyton.”

“I’ll
talk to you later,” she replied, shaking her head frustrated with him, and
really having no idea at all, what he was talking about.

Kevin
didn’t stop her, and she went in with Kay. She closed the door behind her and
let out an irritated groan.

“Lovers
quarrel?” Kay asked.

“That
man is ridiculous, no wonder he is single.”

“What’s
his problem?” Kay asked, sensing the tension from the quiet ride home as well.

“From
what I can decipher, he is pissed because I wouldn’t let him touch me at the
restaurant. We finally agreed that we were not going to talk about anything
serious and just have fun while I am here, and he acts like this. What the hell
Kay?”

“Honey,
I quit trying to figure men out a long time ago. Why do you think I’m still
single?”

“Whatever,
we are going back to that bar tomorrow night Kay, and drinking lots of
screaming orgasms.”

“Oh,
boy,” Kay replied.

Peyton
and Kay turned in around eleven and Peyton hadn’t heard a word from Kevin, and
for the first time since their first encounter, she was glad and hoped that he
was going to stay away from her, and she wouldn’t have to fight with herself to
stay away from him.  That lasted for about ten minutes when her phone rang, and
she answered it with a pout.

“What?”
she asked, answering it, already with a smile on her face.

“I’m
an idiot,” Kevin spoke.

“Yes,
you are,” she agreed.

“Don’t
you want to know why I’m an idiot?”

“I
already know why you’re an idiot, but go ahead, humor me.”

“I
think I would rather hear your version first.”

“You
are an idiot because I could be there with you right now with you inside of me,
and now I am going to have to pleasure myself because you wanted to go all dark
and crazy on me.”

“You
pleasure yourself?”

“That
would be what you heard of that.”

“Do
you Peyton?” he asked, not letting it go.

“Yes,”
she said as seductive as she could muster.

“Damn,
I’m coming after you,” he demanded.

“No
you’re not, it’s after eleven. I was kidding; I am not pleasuring anything
tonight.”

“But
you do?”

“You
are an idiot,” she replied.

“Can
I pick you up after work tomorrow?”

“No,
sorry, I already made plans with Kay to go to that bar again tomorrow night.”

“The
Warehouse?”

“Yes,
and I guess you can come if you want.”

“That
doesn’t sound like much of an invitation. Are you going to come home with me if
I come?”

“Maybe,”
she replied with nothing more.

“Goodnight
Peyton,” he said with a smile.

“Goodnight
Kevin.”

Peyton
was a nervous wreck the entire next day. She worried about how this would turn
out and hoped that Kay didn’t find out that she was behind the whole thing and
if she did find out, she wouldn’t be too mad. She had kept her scheme secret
from Kevin, afraid that he would warn Kay and be mad at her, which he was
probably going to be anyway.

Peyton
and Kay arrived around six, ate supper there, and Kevin joined them shortly
after. They both already had a drink, and he ordered a beer and laughed at the
picture of the bartender and Peyton with the sign that offered the famous
Peyton Paxton drink, and the price had gone up a dollar and fifty cents from
the week before.

He
sat at the table with them, and as soon as he was sitting Peyton ran her hand
up his leg and gave him a seductive look, and then asked herself what the heck
she was doing.

He
gave her the same look back, and she no longer cared about Kay’s love life. She
wanted to get out of there and into his bed.

The
bar was starting to fill up, and nobody told her that it was Two for Tuesday
and Karaoke night. The entire bar was again drinking her drink, but again she
was pleasantly surprised that most people did leave her alone, other than the
constant stares. She wanted to flirt with Kevin and hang all over him but
didn’t dare, afraid of what would be in the tabloids the next day.

Peyton
and Kay were both feeling pretty good by nine, and she started to get anxious
about Don and Carter showing up any second. Kay got up and went to the bathroom,
and she wanted to follow her and tell her what she had done but didn’t.

“Peyton?”
Kevin said looking at the door, watching Carter walk in with a very handsome
man wearing jeans and a t-shirt, covered by a black leather jacket.

Peyton
turned and looked just as Kay came out of the bathroom and practically ran
right into him.

“Oh
shit,” Kevin said.

They
watched as they looked at each other briefly, and she spun and got away from
him as soon as she had regained her composure.

“I’m
leaving Kay. Are you coming with me or staying with Kevin?”

“Why
Peyton? Where are you going?”

“Home,
are you coming or not?”

“Kay,
you’re not driving,” Kevin demanded.

“Kevin
don’t. I’m fine, and I think I sobered up instantly.”

“You’re
still not driving,” Kevin demanded and took her keys from her hand. “I will
drive you home, and you can get your car tomorrow.”

“Fine,
let’s go.”

That
went well.
“Kay, stop. We are not leaving yet. Sit down and get another
drink.”

“Peyton,
do you see that guy right there with Carter?” she asked, nodding toward Don and
their eyes again locked. “That is Don, and I am not going to be in the same
place with him.”

“So
you are going to let him dictate where and when you can come here?”

“What?
No, he’s not dictating anything. I don’t want to be in the same state as him,
let alone the same bar.”

“If
you leave because he is here than that is exactly what you are doing. Just sit
down and drink your drink.”  We don’t have to leave because he is here,” Peyton
begged, and pulled her arm making her sit back in the chair.

“I
am going to go say hi,” Kevin said, and got up to go to the two men.

“Kay,
why are you so shook up over him being here? I thought you said you were over
him.”

“He
is a hard one to get over Peyton, and I hate him.”

“You
don’t hate him.”

“I
want to,” she admitted.

“Maybe
you should just talk to him, get it out of your system.”

Carter
walked over and said hi to Peyton and Kay while Kevin talked to Don.

“How
could you bring him here Carter?” Kay asked as soon as he sat, and Peyton’s
heart fell, in anticipation of his answer.

“It’s
Tuesday night Kay. How was I supposed to know you would be here?”

“You
wouldn’t Carter. I’m sorry; it’s not your fault.”

“He
wants to meet you Peyton,” Carter told her, and Peyton looked at Kay.

Kay
shrugged her shoulders. “I’m a big girl. I can take it,” she told Peyton, but
she wasn’t a big girl, and she didn’t want to be anywhere near him.

Carter
directed him over with his head, and he sat across from Kay, who was looking at
the floor of dancers, avoiding his eyes at all cost. Kevin sat back down, and
gave Peyton a dirty look as he did.

“I
can’t believe it. Peyton Paxton in the Warehouse,” Don said, and she shook his
hand with a smile.

Carter
left when some guys from the pool table yelled for him to come over, and after
signing an autograph for Don, Peyton got up and took Kevin’s hand and pulled
him to the dance floor, without looking to Kay first, afraid of the look she
would get.

“I
can’t believe you Peyton,” Kevin told her pulling her into his arms.

“Well
don’t be too mad at me. I really need to go home with you tonight.”

Kevin
just shook his head. He wasn’t about to fight with her. He too wanted her to
come home with him.

She
turned so that she could see the progress of Kay and Don.

“How’s
Trevas doing?” Don asked Kay, and she turned her glare from Kevin and Peyton,
mad that they left her, to him.

“He
is fine Don,” she replied.

“Does
he come home much? I’d like to see him.”

“He
will be home this week. I will tell him to give you a call,” she replied,
coolly. “What are you even doing here? I thought we agreed that I wouldn’t go
into the Roadhouse, and you wouldn’t come here.”

“I
wasn’t going anywhere tonight actually. Carter made me come, and now that I
think about it, I kind of think I was set up.”

“Why?”
she asked, with narrowed eyes, wondering if Carter knew she was going to be
there.

“He
told me that Peyton Paxton was going to be here tonight, but I didn’t know that
she was here with you.”

“Kevin
and Peyton knew that,” she stated, and turned her glare back to Peyton who
quickly turned her head.

“How
in the world do you know Peyton Paxton?” he asked, dismissing her last
statement.

“Trevas
is dating her daughter.”

“Alley
Fletcher, the one all over television right now?

“Yes
but that doesn’t go anywhere but here.”

“Wow,
Trevas dating Alley Fletcher, how did that happen?”

“Don,
we don’t need to do this. I will tell Trevas to call you. You can talk to him
about this.”

“Okay,
I deserve that,” he admitted.

“Yes,
you do,” she agreed.

“Kay,
if I could go back and do it over, I would have stayed right here with you.”

Kay
snorted. “Yeah, well we don’t get do-overs in life.”

“I
didn’t take you serious Kay. I thought once I was gone for a week or two, I
would call you and you would be over being mad. If I would have known I was
going to lose you if I left, I would have never left.”

“Bullshit
Don,” she yelled, angry with him. “You knew when you left that you were not
choosing me.”

“I
did not know that Kay. I didn’t think you would really give me an ultimatum.”

“No
you thought that I would be sitting here by myself waiting on you.”

“Yes,
I did think that.”

“I
guess you thought wrong.”

Kevin
sensed the tension, and although Peyton wanted to wait at the bar after their
dance, he refused and told her, they needed to go save Kay.

Carter
waited for them and rejoined the group as well, and wished he would have stayed
away when Kay drilled him a soon as he sat down.

“Who
told you that Peyton was going to be here?” she asked, demanding to know.

“What
are you talking about Kay?” he tried, and knew he was indeed going to be stuck
in the middle.

“Kevin?”
she yelled at him, and then looked back to Carter when she didn’t get an
answer.

“I
did Kay,” Peyton spoke up, and she looked at her with a look of total shock.

“Peyton?
You did this?”

“Yes
but not to hurt you Kay.”

Kay
stood up, not believing that Peyton set her up. She thought she was coming here
to forget about men and have a good time. She couldn’t believe Peyton, collaborated
this whole operation.

“Did
you know about this?” she asked, angrily down at Kevin.

“Kay,
he didn’t know anything about it, and it’s not Carters fault either. He tried
to tell me to mind my own business.”

“Carter
will you take me home?” she asked, not wanting anything to do with the other three
conspirators at the table.

Carter
looked at Don, wondering how he was going to get home, and Don nodded his head
for him to go. Kay followed him out, and Kevin crossed his arms and looked to
Peyton.

“Don’t
say a word Kevin,” she demanded with her finger, knowing that he was dying to
say I told you so. She got up and followed Kay.

“Kay,”
she called, and Kay turned around, and she felt horrible when she saw the not
angry but hurt look in her eyes.

“Please
just go home with Kevin tonight Peyton,” Kay begged, not wanting to talk about
Don.

“Peyton,
I’m sorry,” Peyton apologized and meant it, wishing she would have listened to
everyone that tried to tell her, how bad of an idea this was and minded her own
business.

“Peyton
what did you think was going to happen by doing this? Did you actually think
that I was going to see him and forget the past?”

“Yeah,
that’s kind of what I was hoping, pretty stupid uh?”

“Yes,
very. Call me in the morning and I will come and get you,” she said and walked
out.

“Have
you had enough for one night?” Kevin asked, wanting to get out of there.

“Yes,
and I am sorry for this Don,” she replied to Kevin and turned to Don.

“Awe,
don’t worry about it. How can I be mad at Peyton Paxton?” he asked, letting her
off the hook. He wasn’t sorry that he got to see Kay, and he wished with
everything in him that she would forgive him and let him back in her life.

The
ride home was once again quiet and neither, Payton nor Kevin spoke, and she was
sure that she had ruined their intimate night as well.

They
went to bed together, and she was right he never touched her, which was fine by
her she had kind of lost the desire as well. He did pull her into his arms and
held her tight with a few kisses to the top of the head here and there. He
didn’t mention her meddling, and they didn’t really talk.

When
his alarm went off the next morning, and he tried to wiggle away from Peyton. She
held onto him and moved up to his lips.

“Make
love to me before you leave,” she requested.

“Make
love?” he asked, surprised at her choice of words.

She
smiled. “You’re the one that called it cheap.”

Kevin
turned her so that he was now towering over her and kissed her while running
his hands up her shirt and to her breast. Peyton let out a pleasurable moan and
parted her legs for him to move in. He helped her slide out of her panties, and
wished he had set the clock a half hour earlier. He was of course ready for her
and moved into her with slow force.  They climaxed together and once they were
back to real life, Peyton moaned, remembering the reality of facing Kay.

“I
have to face Kay,” she said, looking up to Kevin, and he moved off of her and
swatted her on the butt when she turned to her stomach.

“Good,
I hope she puts you in your place.”

“What?”
she asked, sitting up.

“You
deserve it Peyton. I tried to warn you, but you wouldn’t listen.”

She
groaned again. “I do deserve it. Do you still have her keys?”

****

Peyton
leaned over and kissed Kevin before getting out of his car and into Kay’s.

“Are
you sure, you’re not going to get lost?” Kevin asked, hoping she could find her
way back to Kay’s.

“Yes
Kevin, I’m sure. I will see you later,” she assured him.

“Will
you see me later?”

“I
will see you tonight, but Trevas and Alley will be here sometime tonight, and I
will be with them on Thursday, and then I am flying home Friday.”

“So
tonight is the last night I’m going to see you?”

Peyton
hadn’t thought about it, but he was right, this would be their last night
together and she didn’t think she liked how it felt. “I guess it is,” she
smiled a warm smile. “Come and get me after work,” she added, and with one more
quick kiss, she got out of his car.

Peyton
had to knock on Kay’s locked door. Kay knew that it was Peyton and opened the
door, turned and walked away without a word.

“Kay,
I’m sorry,” she begged for forgiveness.

Kay
looked at her and tried to stay mad. “Do you want coffee?” she asked walking
away and into the kitchen with Peyton following.

“I
am really sorry Kay,” Peyton said again, pouring coffee and joining her at the
table. “I promise, I will never, ever pry in your business again.”

“If
you were going to be here more than a couple more days, I would give you the
silent treatment,” Kay replied, giving in. She knew Peyton didn’t mean any harm,
and just wanted her to be happy. “I am not mad at you for making me face him
Peyton. I am mad at you because you made me remember how happy I was with Don,
and I have tried for fourteen months now to forget that.”

“Don’t
you think maybe that you are selling yourself short? I know he would jump at
another chance Kay.”

“Peyton,
he didn’t choose me. You have no idea how much that hurt or how many months I
went through hell, trying to forget him.”

“Okay
Kay, I am not going to try and change your mind. I said I wouldn’t meddle and I
won’t.”